


A Slow Descent

by nevermindedanyway



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Coming Out, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Pre-Relationship, canon-typical alcohol use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-19 22:58:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13133982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevermindedanyway/pseuds/nevermindedanyway
Summary: Four times Dex looked after Nursey (and one time they took care of each other)





	A Slow Descent

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alocalband](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alocalband/gifts).



> Please see the notes at the end for a content note related to the above tags.

“There are two kinds of people in the world, Dex,” Nursey slurred. “Those who appreciate poetry, and those who are dead inside.” Nursey stumbled, his arm slipping off Will’s shoulder as he tried regain his balance.

“Whoops,” he said, hauling himself back upright.

Will sighed. “Sure, Nursey. Whatever you say. Time to go now, yeah?” The party had been dying around them for the past fifteen minutes, while Nursey ranted about Will’s supposed inability to appreciate the arts.

“Ugh, man, whatever,” said Nursey. “Which way is home?”

They walked - well, Will walked, Nursey staggered - the five minutes down Frat Row to the Haus, Nursey having apparently completely forgotten his previous rant and now expounding the virtues of wearing light scarves in the fall. Will had used to find Nursey’s drunken ramblings frustrating; an indicator of Nurse’s lack of self-control that Will had found in turns irritating and enviable. It still irked him sometimes, that Nursey was so prone to letting himself go like this - leaving someone else (Will, usually) to pick up the pieces and make sure he made it home intact. But more and more, Will had come to accept this side of Nursey for what it was - a need to let go, let loose, be unabashed with his thoughts and emotions - something that he would not allow himself when sober, the ever-present “chill” often nothing more than a facade to hide behind. Why Nurse felt the need to repress his Important Views on scarves of all things, Will couldn’t be sure, but he was glad Nurse was able to find an outlet for them tonight.

The Haus was quiet when they arrived; its other inhabitants either already asleep or still out elsewhere. Will did his best to keep Nursey quiet as he unlocked the door and ushered him up the stairs, but Nursey had an alarming ability to find things (tables, walls) to crash into when sober, let alone when three sheets to the wind. 

Will deposited Nursey in their room and headed back to the kitchen to hunt down a clean glass for water and maybe some toast. Forcing Nurse to eat after drinking was never a sure win, but Will figured it was worth trying. And if Nurse refused it, Will could always eat. By the time he’d gotten himself sorted and made it back up the stairs, however, Nursey had passed out, snoring softly, in his bunk.

Will shook his head in exasperation, and took a substantial bite out of the toast. It was delicious.

***

Chowder  
  
**Chowder:** Hey Dex i’m in Founders and uh  
  
**Chowder:** Nursey’s being a bit weird and i’m like worried??? about him??  
  
**Will:** What do you mean “weird”?  
  
**Chowder:** Like he keeps muttering to himself but like more than usual and he snapped at me when i asked him if he was ok  
  
**Will:** Oh, wow. Okay. Yeah that’s not normal  
  
**Will:** I’ll be right there  
  
**Chowder:** Thank you!!!  
  


Will arrived at Founders to find Chowder sat several stacks away from Nurse, but having clearly done no work in the previous half-hour, going by the tissue debris on his desk that he’d been anxiously destroying. Will could see Nursey from Chowder’s table and, well. He understood why Chris messaged him.

(Sort of. He didn’t think that Derek Nurse would be more likely to listen to William J. Poindexter, III when in a snit than the adorable Christopher Chow, but Chowder had clearly felt like he needed backup and Will was determined to help if he could.)

Nurse was sprawled over an entire half-desk in the otherwise busy library - his obvious poor mood having driven any potential co-occupants to other tables. He was dressed in his usual late-fall attire; chunky knit scarf wrapped haphazardly around his neck, fingerless gloves still on in spite of the difficulty they caused when writing (“it’s about the aesthetic, Dex, the look doesn’t work if I take the gloves off, c’mon”), hair pulled back in an artfully messy ponytail by a loose elastic. 

From his vantage point by Chowder’s desk Will could see the obvious tension in Nursey’s shoulders, his furrowed brow, the way his whole body shook as he sighed to himself in frustration. His bad mood rolled off him in palpable waves.

The desk opposite Nursey was empty, so Will wandered over as casually as he could manage and dropped his bag on the floor next to the chair. Nursey didn’t stir, totally absorbed in the printout he was highlighting.

Will sat down with an undignified grunt, and Nursey startled and looked up with a scowl.

“Hey, man,” said Will, casual as you please.

Nursey grimaced, “Hey,” and immediately went back to poring over his printout.

 _Rude,_ thought Will.

He cleared his throat and Nursey looked up.

“What,” he said, his mouth a flat line.

“You okay, Nursey?” said Will, floundering slightly. _I should have planned this better,_ he thought.

“I’m fine,” he said, looking back down at the page.

“It’s just,” Will paused, contemplating how best to put this, “C messaged me - said he was worried about you? How long have you been sat here, man?”

“Dunno,” said Nurse, curt. “Is that it, Poindexter? ‘Cause I’ve got shit to do.”

“No, seriously, Nurse - how long have you been sat here? When did you last eat something?”

“Not that long, geez. I’m fine. Tell C to back the hell off.” And, wow, if that wasn’t a sign that Derek Nurse was Not Okay then Will would eat his left shin guard.

“Right. Sure,” he said, and decided he needed further backup. He left his bag on the floor where it was, got a folder out and opened it on the desk to claim the space, and swiftly retreated back to Chowder’s desk.

“Well?” said Chowder, practically vibrating with worry.

“Yeah, it’s not good,” said Will. “I’m going for supplies; keep an eye on him for me, will you?”

“Sure!” said Chowder, looking relieved.

It didn’t take him long to scurry to the library café, grab a muffin, and scurry back. By the look of things, Nursey had barely moved in that time. Will shuffled over to Nursey’s desk, muffin artfully hidden from the librarian’s watchful gaze, and prodded at Nursey under the desk when he was back in his seat.

Nurse’s response was about as gracious as it had been five minutes previously. 

Undeterred, Will prodded Nursey again, this time shoving the muffin towards him under the table.

Nursey sighed, grimaced, and finally reached out. 

“Thanks, Dex. Sorry for being a dick.”

“It’s okay,” said Will. “You’re good.”

***

Will was in the living room when it happened, half-way through coding his latest CompSci assignment. He was just starting to feel like he was getting into a good flow, translating his planned algorithm into working code, when there was a muffled thump from the kitchen, followed by a wordless shout and an “Oh, _shit_.”

Will stood up. “Uh, you guys okay?” He said as he hurried towards the kitchen door.

He was greeted Nursey and Bitty by the kitchen counter, Nursey’s hand wrapped up in a dish towel, Bitty holding Nursey’s hand up over his head and - oh wow, that was a very large knife covered in a lot of blood.

They were frozen in a disastrous tableau for a split-second, before everything leapt back into action all at once.

“Dex! Oh! His hand! It, oh god, it - it went right through, the knife. We need to go to the hospital -”

“Uh, there’s quite a lot of blood, man. Do we have any more towels? Could you get -”

“Right,” said Will. “I’m calling Ford.”

They bundled themselves into Ford’s car, Bitty still holding Nursey’s arm up over his head on the back seat. Will knew he was less-than-essential for this trip, but Nursey was looking paler by the minute and he knew he would get nothing done until he knew Nursey was okay, so. He might as well be there. Moral support for Bitty really. Yeah.

Will and Ford got the details out of Bitty on the journey over. As it turned out, giving Nursey a six-inch knife and asking him to stone peaches with it is a recipe for a pie gone horribly wrong. Will thought that he could have told Bitty that before Nursey drove said knife all the way through his palm and out the other side, but decided that mentioning this would help absolutely no-one, least of all Bitty, who was looking more and more distressed as the blood began to seep through the towels around Nursey’s hand.

They deposited themselves in the ER waiting room while Ford headed over to the reception counter to sign them in. Will tagged in for Bitty, whose arms were now visibly shaking with the effort of holding Nursey’s hand up over his head for the better part of an hour.

Ford came back over with a clipboard full of forms and a harried-looking nurse, who took Nursey and Will over to triage to check Nursey out. She asked him what had happened, took his blood pressure, bandaged his hand properly and hooked his arm up to a contraption to keep it raised without Will’s help.

Will stayed with Nursey through registration and the full doctor’s exam. He didn’t want to leave Nursey on his own, and Nursey didn’t ask him to leave, so. He figured his presence was unobtrusive, if not wholly desirable. The doctor unwrapped Nursey’s bandaged hand to examine it and told them that he would need surgery.

“We need to find out how much damage has been done and repair what we can,” she said. “You won’t need to stay overnight - you’ll be operated on today unless a more acute patient comes in. I don’t think you’ve nicked an artery, but we need to check as soon as we can.”

“Shit,” said Will, when she had gone to get an orderly to move Nursey to a bed.

“Huh,” said Nursey, closing his eyes. “I’ve never had surgery before. It’ll be a learning experience.”

“Right,” said Will. “Who do I need to call? Where’s your phone?”

Nursey’s parents were out of the country, he said, so Will found himself calling Nursey’s sister Sarah to explain the situation. He checked in with Bitty and Ford, who were still out in the ER waiting room. 

“Is Nursey okay?” asked Bitty. “Everyone’s really worried.”

“He’s fine,” said Will. “He’s going into surgery later today. I’m gonna keep him company, but it doesn’t need all of us. We’ll need a ride back to the Haus once he’s released though.”

Bitty and Ford headed off, Ford promising her services after the operation, and Will settled down next to Nursey’s bed with his laptop while Nursey read the book he’d brought with him.

“Are you sure you want to stay here?” asked Nursey. “I don’t mind if you go, I’ll be fine.”

“I can work anywhere,” said Will. “And someone’s got to keep the team up-to-date.”

“But-”

“Seriously, Nurse. I feel useful, keeping you company. I’ll go if you really don’t want me, but I’d rather stay.”

“Oh. Okay. Thanks, man,” Nursey said.

“No worries,” said Will, feeling a smile force its way onto his face. “I’m glad I’m here.”

***

Will stomped up the stairs, wanting nothing more than to lie down and never have to think again. His quantum physics class was kicking his ass, and he had understood less than half of what the professor had said in the past hour.

He had just reached the top of the stairs when he heard a furious-sounding “Fuck!” come from his and Nursey’s room, followed by the thud of something solid hitting the wall and then the floor. He hesitated, then knocked on the door-frame.

Nursey groaned as Will pushed the door open slowly.

“Nurse?” He said, to no response. He shuffled into the room, setting his bag down gently. “What’s wrong?”

Another groan.

“Okay. Uh, do you want your phone back?”

“No. I’m just gonna lie here for a while.”

“Okay then. I’ll just. Be on my bed.”

Will clambered up to his bunk and lay down, pulling up tetris. It didn’t take long for an intermittent buzzing from the floor to intrude on his concentration. He lost the game he was playing and opened another as Nursey’s phone went from incessant message notifications to the continuous hum of a call.

“Dude, can you answer? Or turn it off or something?”

A sigh, a thud and some scuffling and the buzzing went silent.

“Nurse, what’s going on?”

Nursey sighed again, groaned again before finally relenting. “I just came out to my dad.”

“Oh man,” said Will. “Was it-”

“Not great,” said Nursey. “Like, not terrible, but. Kinda awkward? I didn’t even mean to say anything - it just came out.” He paused. “Hah, _came out_.”

Will grinned, and leant over the edge of his bunk. Nursey was on his back, one arm flopped over his eyes. The other hand was worrying at the comforter he had pulled over himself.

“Are you okay?” Will asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just - I don’t want to talk about it, you know? Not with him. Not in detail. But I think he wants me to, like, explain myself. And I just. Don’t want to. ‘Not-straight’ should be all the detail he needs. Especially seeing as I’ve not figured out what word fits anyway.”

“Makes sense,” Will said. “Hey, do you want to mess about on Rollercoaster Tycoon with me? I’ll check your phone for you in case it’s anything urgent.”

Nursey grinned. “Yeah, man. Sounds good.”

***

Will had really thought this might be their year. Sure, they hadn’t even made the playoffs last year, but they had recruited some great players and had lucked out with some good walk-ons as well. Yes, Nursey’s injury had put them on the back foot for a good chunk of the season, but Bitty had worked his ass off to rally the team around and get them all fighting fit and hungry to win.

It wasn’t enough. 

Will trudged through the tunnel, eyes on Nursey’s bowed head ahead of him. He watched the beads of sweat on Nursey’s neck coalesce and run down the back of his jersey, leaving glistening, salty trails.

Bitty gathered them together in the locker room and told them all how proud he was of them, the team, _his_ team. Will felt hollowed out, empty. They let Bitty down. They got swept out of the quarterfinals like it meant nothing. All that work for nothing.

They cleared the locker room slowly. It was a home game, so there was no uncomfortable journey back to Samwell to contend with. Of course, losing in front of a home crowd was not Will’s idea of a good time, either. Bitty declared a ‘brownies and beer’ evening at the Haus and encouraged the whole team to make tracks over there. Will was one of the last out of the locker room, not wanting to admit fully that the season was truly over, trying to eke it out for as long as he could.

By the time he got back to the Haus, Bitty had already gotten a batch of brownies in the oven. Will found himself in charge of checking on them, and taking them out as necessary, while Bitty went upstairs to call Jack. Will sat down heavily at the kitchen table, unable to muster the energy to head to the living room for a softer seat.

Sometime later, Nursey poked his head around the door.

“Hey, Dex. You want a beer?”

“I - sure,” said Will.

“You mind some company?”

“No - come join Brownie Watch.”

Nursey chuckled. “Thanks man. I don’t really feel like wallowing alone, you know?”

“I know what you mean,” Will said, trying to smile. It felt like more of a grimace.

They sat there in comfortable silence for most of the evening. Will got the brownies out, and Bitty came back down eventually. Most of the team drifted through the kitchen at one time or another, lured by the smell of fresh baking. 

Will found himself declared sous-chef for round two (“Why not Nursey?” “You know why, William”). Nursey became heckler-in-chief, keeping Will, at least, entertained. He ended up having a better evening than he thought he would, given the way it had begun.

They made their way to their room eventually, once the Haus was clear of extra teammates. Will was clambering up into his bunk when Nursey said, “Hey, Dex?”

Will stopped, half-way up the ladder. “Yeah?”

“This year - it’s been good, right? We’ve been good, don’t you think?”

 _This is a face-to-face conversation,_ thought Will. He hopped down from his perch and moved to sit on the edge of Nursey’s bunk. “Yeah, man, it has. We have.”

Nursey sat up, smiling softly. “Good,” he said. “I thought so. I just. I had to check.”

Will felt himself smiling back. “We’re a good team. We’re gonna crush next season, you and me.”

“You and me,” said Nursey.

“Yeah. You and me,” Will said, and he felt his heart expand in his chest. “We’ve got this.”

**Author's Note:**

> Content note: there is a non-graphic description of an injury involving a kitchen knife in this story, in the section beginning "Will was in the living room when it happened".
> 
> For alocalband for Swawesome Santa 2017 - a burn so slow they don't even get together! Sorry! I hope you enjoy it anyway :)


End file.
